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Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, Issue LXXII, 29 May 1917, Page 7

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MR MACDoNALD'S IMPRESSIONS

BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION. j WELLINGTON, May 28. : The Hon. Mac Donald, Minister of Agriculture, who left New Zealand on the 3rd instant, on a visit to Australia, for the purpose of purchasing a , quantity of wheat on behalf of the New I Zealand Government, has returned to j "Wellington, and in an interview with a j reporter gaye a brief account of his , trip. He visited Sydney and Melbourne. ■' During his stay in Victoria, the Minister visited the Werribee State Farm, and was very much interested in j thg work being carried on there in re- ! spect ,to experiments with different cereals, also the growing of lucerne, fat- ' tening lambs, and dairying. The farm ! has a particularly fine herd of Red . Polete, which appear to be good aver- j age milkers, showing a test of from j 4.2 to 6.2. The Agricultural Depart- ' ment- have built aft Werribee. accommodation for returned soldiers, and anticipate that shortly a fair number of men will go to ttie' farm for special training

Mr Mac Donald also visited the dairying districts of Western Victoria,, which include his native town of Camperdown. A great change has. taken place in this district since he last visited it. Many large estates have been cut.uo, and are now being run as dairy farms. In this particular district dairying is carried on all the year round, with a "systematic method of feeding dairy herds. Mr Mac Donald visited also "the Hawkesburjr Agricultural College in New South Wale^ and was interested in the splendid work being done there. The college at presenft is dealing with, from 150 to 180 learners and boys from other colonies, who are taking advantage of the facilities offered for agricultural education at Hawkesbufy. Outside the educational and instructional bianch for boys, a great amount of experimental work has been done in connection with grass and cereals, especially lucerne. The Department goes in largely for breeding purebred stock, dairy cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, and poultry, and is meeting with considerable success in this direction. The Federal elections were not quite completed when Mr Mac Donald left Sydney, but there appeared to be general satisfaction there on the success of the National Party. Mr Mac Donald was strongly impressed with the feeling of loyalty in the people he met in Australia, and with the splendid work being done by the Red Cross, V.M.C.A. and others, in connection with military hospitals and rest homes for soldiers. Mr Mac Donald visited various Test homes and places of amusement for £he soTcfiers, and all seemed organised on a sound basis, and to be giving great satisfaction to the men generally. The women of Australia, like the women of New Zealand, are do. ing splendid work in all branches where they can assist in connection with soldiers' homes and hospitals